You might have noticed different hat sizes in the kitchen. Some chefs wear very tall hats, while others wear shorter ones. The main head chef alone wore the tallest hat in the old days. Famous French chef Marie-Antoine Carême wore a massive 18-inch tall white hat! Other chefs respected his seniority just by looking at that hat.
The secret behind the hat folds!
You will see many vertical folds if you look closely at a chef’s hat. People mistakenly think these folds exist only for design. Kitchens in the past measured a chef’s skill based on these folds. A hat with 100 folds meant the chef knew how to cook 100 different dishes using just one egg.
The hat also covers the head completely to protect food hygiene. Chefs work near hot stoves for many hours. The cap stops facial sweat from dropping into the food. The tall design leaves empty space inside for air circulation. This airflow keeps the chef’s head cool and peaceful during busy hours.